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Pirasa sarmasi/ Leek wraps with rice / Porų suktinukai su ryžiais

I find all those turkish wraps and stuffed vegetables really delicious and I like making them in a lot of ways. Even though my favorite is with grape leaves, time from time I make them with other vegetables - chard, cabbage, and of course leek. It is not usual to find stuffed leek, but it put this vegetable in a different level. It also makes a great appetizer. Enjoy!

Leek wraps with rice

( serves 4 as an appetizer or 2 as a main dish)

What you need:

6 large leeks

150ml uncooked rice

1 onion

2 garlic cloves

1 tomatoes

a handful of parsley and mint

2 tbsp dried black currants ( optional)

2 tbsp pine nuts

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp allspice

salt and black pepper

olive oil

½ tsp dried thyme

1 lemon

What you have to do:

Wash the leek very well and cut it lenghtwise and remove the first three or four outer layers. Put them in a large pot and cover with some water. Cook for about 5 minutes until leaves become a bit soft and flexible enough for wrapping.

Prepare the filling. Put rice in a pot and cover with boiling water. Leave it to soak for 15 minutes. Then drain the rice. In a food processor add peeled onion,garlic cloves, parsley, mint, chopped tomato, 3-4 tbsp of olive oil. Chop it all until small pieces.

In a bowl mix rice with chopped vegetables, season with salt, pepper, cinnamon, all spice, add black currants, pine nuts, thyme. You can also add some boiled chickpeas. Mix it well.

Take one layer of leek and add a bit of filling in one corner, fold the leek so you would end up with a triangle.

Drizzle some olive oil in a pot, put some lemon slices on the bottom and arrange the wraps. Pour some water just to cover the leek wraps and cover them with a plate. It helps them not to unwrap while cooking. Bring the pot to boil and cook for 15 minutes, add a splash of water if needed. The filling should be cooked through.

Serve leeks wraps warm with garlic flavored yogurt sauce. If you want them to be a bit spicier, fry one onion in some oil and add a teaspoon of spicy red pepper paste. Serve leeks with hot onion relish. Leek wraps can be served cold as an appetizer with some lemon juice and olive oil. Enjoy!